


So Not Falling in Love

by ExploringWonders



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action & Romance, Adventure & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Light Angst, light Violence, pidgance, plance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:41:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28678338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExploringWonders/pseuds/ExploringWonders
Summary: She spun around in her chair as the blue armor entered her line of sight. "Lance?""Sorry it took so long, Pidge," he said, jogging to the computer next to her. "What do you need me to do?"She stepped into his path and held up her hands. "You stay back," she said, pushing him away from the monitor. "I'll just have to figure this out on my own. Don't touch anything.""If you just want me to stand in the corner, why did you call me up here?" Lance asked. Pidge groaned as she stalked back to the computer."I didn't call you. I was expecting Hunk."When the paladins receive a distress signal from Earth, they decide to ignore it for the greater good of the universe. The only problem is the vote wasn't unanimous, so when the red lion launches in the middle of the night, Pidge has to decide whether going with Lance was the worst or the best mistake of her life.
Relationships: Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt
Kudos: 1





	1. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team tries to save a planet, and they almost succeed.
> 
> Almost.

_ "According to Lance, you have approximately one varga to download the virus into the system," _ Keith announced. Lance had left before the others to get a view of the situation they were dealing with. What would have been a simple mission quickly turned into an emergency when he discovered a bomb large enough to wipe out the entire planet. He had positioned himself on the roof of the building while he waited for the others to show.  _ "We need to begin evacuating the prisoners just in case things go south." _

_"There's no need for a plan B,"_ Pidge boasted, irritated by her teammate's lack of faith. She held the chip containing the virus in her hand. All she had to do was connect it to the mainframe and _boom_ , she smiled at her own pun. _No more explosion._ _"I've got this,"_ she said proudly.

_ "Nice of you guys to join me," _ Lance's voice went over the comms as the lions broke through the atmosphere.  _ "It was getting kind of lonely down here." _

Pidge looked down from her lion at the planet's surface. The landscape was dotted with purple buildings, a sight she was more than used to. She saw no signs of life on the ground, but the skyscraper in the center of the city had the architecture of a prison, meaning that was where they were going.

_ "Lance will cover you from the air if you run into trouble," _ Keith said.  _ "Although I doubt you'll have any. Looks like the Galra cleared out a long time ago." _

As if on cue, Lance added,  _ "I'm seeing a couple troops of sentries, but as far as living things go, I think all that's left are the prisoners." _

_ "Roger that," _ Keith replied.  _ "Make sure Pidge gets in the building, and then go join the others at ground level." _

_ "On it," _ the red paladin answered.

The green lion flew swiftly to the base of the building, and her pilot bounded down the mouth's stairs. She cautiously approached the door, beginning to really miss having Shiro's arm around. "Guess I'll have to do this the old fashion way," she said, pulling out her bayard. With one quick movement, she lodged the blade into the crack in the door. She tugged at it until it opened, and she easily squeezed through before the doors slammed shut again.  _ "I'm in," _ she informed the others.

She jogged through the dimly lit hallways, searching for a way to get to the top floor.  _ Maybe I should have landed on the roof like Lance did, _ she thought, making her way to an escalator that no longer worked.  _ That'll do. _

She took the stairs two at a time on her way to the height of the twenty-story building, while also creating a workout plan to avoid the panting and the sweat that ran down her neck. A language barrier kept her from reading the numbers on every floor, but she kept count on her own.  _ Sixteen... seventeen. Almost there, Katie... Eighteen... Nineteen... _

She slumped into the chair in front of one of the large computers. "Quiznakking Galra," she muttered as she pulled up the information she needed and watched the virus code flood the monitor. "This should do the trick," she smiled.

She stood from her chair, tempted to just fall down the stairs instead of going through another P.E. stunt, but the computer began glowing red, and when she turned around, the timer had begun counting down again. "Oh, quiznak!"

o0o

Small, dinosaur-like aliens scurried around the surface of the planet on their way to the lions. The tallest ones only went up to the paladins' knees, which made communication within the team much easier. Hunk and Allura were busy directing traffic and attempting to provide some sort of organization to the panicked crowd, while Keith and Lance scoured the building for prisoners they might have missed.

_ "Pidge, how much time do we have left?" _

_ "Working on it!" _ Pidge raced back and forth between the two computers. She had stumbled upon what could only be described as the Galra blowing her a raspberry. The system had clearly been created to combat her specifically. The programs had to be deactivated at the same time, using two different methods, and the computers were placed just far enough away from each other so that she was just one inch too short to finish the job. She swallowed her pride before admitting her situation to the team.  _ "I came across some..." _ She scowled at the embarrassingly placed computers.  _ "... interference. Can one of you come up here?" _

After a few seconds, Keith responded.  _ "He's on his way." _ She heard the frantic cries of the Verbelians through the headset.  _ "How are we looking on time, Pidge?" _

_ "Five minutes at best," _ she answered. In defeat, she sat down in the chair and waited for Hunk to make it to the top of the stairs. She heard footsteps slowly crescendo as they climbed higher. She spun around in her chair as the blue armor entered her line of sight. "Lance?"

"Sorry it took so long, Pidge," he said, jogging to the computer next to her. "What do you need me to do?"

She stepped into his path and held up her hands. " _ You _ stay back," she said, pushing him away from the monitor. She glanced back at the timer, hopes falling as it counted down from four minutes. "I'll just have to figure this out on my own," she said. "Don't touch anything."

"If you just want me to stand in the corner, why did you call me up here?" The new arrival asked. Pidge groaned as she stalked back to the computer.

"I didn't call  _ you _ . I was expecting Hunk." She typed commands into the keyboard, growing increasingly frustrated every time the computer didn't respond.

Allura's voice rang out over the headset.  _ "The lions are ready," _ she announced.  _ "What do we do?" _

_ "Don't go," _ Pidge ordered.  _ "Not yet. I think I've almost got it." _

Lance glanced back and forth between the frustrated green paladin and the clock. With every second that ticked by, Pidge became more determined, but her project became more hopeless. With three minutes left, he spoke up. "We need to go, Pidge."

"In a minute, Lance!" She dashed between the two computers, typing commands and dashing back before knowing if they had been accepted.

With two minutes and thirty seconds left, he interjected again. "Pidge, it's-"

"No!"

His eyes were now locked on the numbers as they counted down. At two minutes, he gathered the courage to do what needed to be done. "Pidge, we're leaving."

"No we're no-" She felt her feet leave the floor, and thrashed against her teammate's hold. Lance threw her over his shoulder and bolted down the stairs. "Let me go!"

_ "You guys go ahead and launch," _ Lance said, rounding the corner and descending the next flight of stairs.  _ "We were too late to stop it." _

_ "Where's Pidge?" _

Lance looked over his shoulder at the steaming mass of fury. "Put me down, you overgrown--"

_ "She's with me." _

He rounded another corner on the way to the ground floor.  _ "We'll meet you guys outside." _

_ "We'll hold you to that," _ Keith answered before they lost connection.

Pidge eventually gave up trying to wriggle free and accepted the free transportation. They left through the front doors of the building, where the green lion was waiting for them with its shield up. "Where's your lion?" She asked.

A shot rang out, and a laser hit the wall behind them, barely missing the unsuspecting paladins. The sentry who sent it their way adjusted its aim and prepared to fire again. Lance set Pidge down and activated his shield. "Red will follow me. Just go!" He pointed to her lion, and she took off in a sprint towards the green beast.

The red bayard transformed into a rifle in Lance's hand. He took aim at the troop of sentries, making his selection and pulling the trigger. He hit his mark in the middle of the robot's chest and as it collapsed, another took its place.

Pidge plopped down into the seat as she watched the battle below her. Lance had traded the rifle for a sword, and despite his lack of practice, he was handling the new weapon pretty well.

She snapped back into reality as the lion responded to her. The controls began to glow with her touch, and the lion purred gently. "Hey, girl," she greeted, patting the dashboard. "Do you mind if we pick up an extra passenger?"

Robot parts littered the ground as the sword sliced through another's torso, adding to the growing pile. Lance taunted the five remaining sentries. "Is that all you've got?"

A shot sounded behind him, and he took a blast to the back, falling onto his hands and knees. He watched part of his jetpack fall into the pile of broken machinery as a second troop approached him from behind. "I guess that  _ isn't _ all you've got."

"Incoming!" Pidge announced. The green lion plummeted towards the red paladin, opening its mouth to pick up its cargo. Lance leaped inside as it swept past the sentries. "Later, losers!" She yelled as the troops fired at the quickly disappearing lion.

The doors opened and Lance strolled into the cockpit. "Well, that's  _ my _ cardio for the day." He looked around the room. "Nice place."

"Thanks," she said, pointing out the window. "You were right about Red."

The two lions flew side by side into the atmosphere. Stars replaced the clouds, and they could see the figures of three lions, barely more than specks in the distance.

The lion lurched forward, knocking Lance off his feet. Pidge fell forward, and her helmet hit the dashboard. "What was that?"

They had turned around, and they could now see the planet through the window as the first wave of bombs went off. Lance saw it first and grabbed Pidge's hand, pulling her down to the floor. They took cover under the dashboard before the second wave shook the lion.

After the dust settled, Pidge got up and ran towards the cargo hold.

"Where are you going?" Lance called. He looked out the window, where the planet remained mostly intact. "That wasn't the last one!"

"I have to make sure the Verbelians are okay," she yelled back before the doors closed. Lance quickly followed suit.

The tightly packed cargo hold was in a state of panic. Verbelians raced towards the paladins as they entered, pushing and shoving one another to try to get closer. "Everything is okay," Pidge announced. "We were closer to the planet than we thought when the bombs went off, so Green got a little shaken up. We need you to stay close to the floor until one of us," she gestured to the red paladin and herself, "gives the all-clear."

They stared at her with wide eyes, and for a while, she couldn't figure out why. One of the children tugged at her leg, and she stared into the child's watering eyes. "Is Verbel okay?"

Lance knelt down to the teary-eyed child and placed a hand on their shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, trying his best to break the news slowly. "You can't go back to Verbel. It's..." He looked up to Pidge, but all she did was stare back at him with dread. He opened his mouth again, each word burning his tongue like hot coals. "Verbel is gone."

Another explosion shook the room, but the response was mournful rather than fearful. Pidge retreated back to the cockpit to steer the lion away from the planet, and Lance followed her, feeling he had already done enough damage to the former prisoners' morale. He saw the fire-lit planet outside the window, and a sudden dread washed over him.

"Hey, Lance?" Pidge gripped the steering system, watching the lions in the distance grow larger. "We got everyone out in time, right?"

"Yeah," he answered. "We did."

"Then why doesn't it feel like we won?"


	2. A Day and a Half Without Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance does something stupid. Are we surprised?

Clumps of dirt and rock floated through the empty black expanse. Pidge sat at the wheel of the green lion, and Lance watched out the window. "I think that's the last of it," he said. She nodded.

He saw a speck of red in the distance and reached for his helmet. "I need to get to my lion."

She turned around with a look of surprise on her face. "You're not serious, are you?"

He put his helmet on and turned back to the window. "Yes, I'm serious. The Verbelians over there are all alone in a lion that might as well be a floating rock if I'm not in it." He started towards the door. "I've gotta go make sure they're all right." The doors slid open for him, and he disappeared behind them as they closed.

_ "Uh, Pidge?" _ She heard his voice over the headset.  _ "Green's mouth is closed." _

"Oh... right." She put her hands on the controls. The mouth slid open, and the red paladin reentered her line of sight. He floated towards the lion in the distance while the remains of the planet near them lit up with warm color, an early sign of another bomb.

Pidge's eyes widened.  _ "Lance!" _ She yelled over the comms.  _ "Watch out behind you!" _

He turned, a wave of fear sweeping his face as the light swept through the sky. He made a run for his lion, but the broken pieces of his jet pack sputtered and died. Pidge took shelter underneath the seat as the lion shook violently. Ten seconds later, it was over, and everything looked nearly the same as when it had started, except for Lance, who floated among the dislodged rocks.  _ "Man, that was a trip. Ten out of ten." _

Pidge ignored the comment and climbed back into her seat.  _ "Are you okay?" _

_ "Nothing a pod can't fix." _

_ "You're kidding... Right?" _

_ "Yeah." _ He floated over towards the red lion and climbed inside its mouth. The beast's eyes lit up, and together, the two lions followed the others back to the castle.

o0o

The group was waiting for them when the sets of green and blue armor trudged through the door. A shower of concern washed over them immediately.

"Are you guys okay?" Hunk asked. "You both were way too close to the blast."

"Yeah, yeah," Pidge said, shrugging off the question. "We're fine. Well,  _ I'm _ fine. You should probably ask Lance."

The group swarmed over to the red paladin with a whole new wave of questions. Lance sent a desperate glance to Pidge, who responded with an L on her forehead as she disappeared into the hallway.

His feet began to slide across the floor, and he realized Coran and Hunk were pushing him towards a healing pod. "Guys, guys, hang on, I'm fine!" He pulled away from them. Keith and Allura blocked his path to the door, but he pushed past them. "Seriously, Pidge just told you that so she wouldn't be the center of...  _ Wow _ , the floor looks...  _ really close _ ."

Four sets of hands reached out to catch him, but they were all too late. In his last few seconds of consciousness, his forehead smacked the floor.

o0o

Pidge's feet slid across the floor on her way to the kitchen. The doors slid open before her, revealing an empty room. She thanked her luck for a moment of peace as she slowly ate her lunch. Everything was quiet.  _ Too quiet, _ she thought.  _ I thought at least Hunk would be here. _

She abandoned her meal and made her way down to the med bay, where most of the escaped prisoners were staying. She looked over the pods, where families gathered to wait for their loved ones.

"Pidge, you're here." She turned around to find Coran at one of the pods. "Would you mind passing me the birruk over there?" He entered a few commands on the keypad. "We haven't used this pod in a while. Turns out, it was only made for cryosleep."

"Why didn't you ask one of  _ us _ ?" Hunk, Keith, and Shiro stood on the other side of the malfunctioning pod. Pidge reached for the wrench-like object.

"First of all, she's standing right next to it. Also, none of you know what a birruk is."

Pidge handed the tool over to the Altean and looked down at the alien in the pod, but instead of a short dinosaur, she saw a pair of human knees. She looked up at their face. "Woah woah woah!" She backed up a few steps in surprise. "What's Lance doing in a pod?"

"You didn't know?" Coran asked. "Number Three had a major concussion. Passed out on the floor right in front of us." He continued to fiddle with the machine while the others watched over his shoulder. After a while, he stood. "And, we're done," he said, voice cheerful as ever. "The pod's back up and running. He should be out in just over a quintant." He looked down at the floor, where one of the Verbelians was tugging on his leg. "I've got to go. That pod isn't the only one in need of repair." They watched the Altean skip across the room to the other pods.

"Well, I'm beat," Hunk said. He made his way to the door. "I'm gonna go make lunch. Anyone else hungry?"

Pidge watched the Verbelians run back and forth between the pods, caring for the family members who were still waiting for a pod. "I just ate," she said.

"All right. Call us if you need anything." Hunk left the room. Keith followed soon after.

Pidge and Shiro stood side by side in front of the pod. "You can go, too," she said. "I'll be fine here."

He nodded. "Remember what Hunk said. If you need anything at all..."

"I know." For a few seconds, there was silence between them. She heard his footsteps fade away as the door closed.

It only took a few minutes before she decided to leave too. She stopped at the door, staring back at the Verbelians and her teammate before the door shut her out.

She practically crawled back to the observation deck where she found the rest of the team. "I thought you were going to eat," she said.

"We did."

_ Really? _ She thought.  _ How long was I standing there? _

A red light began to flash on the map. "Another distress beacon," Allura informed. "It's on the edge of the Galra empire." They stared at the map, all of them knowing their next move before Keith even opened his mouth.

"They're trying to take over another planet." He sighed and turned towards the door. "Let's go."

"Are you sure you want to attempt this without-"

"We're not going to  _ attempt _ it. We're going to  _ do _ it," he answered. "Get to your lions."

The team was hesitant, but they followed. The green lion lit up when Pidge entered the hangar. "Hey, girl," she said. "Are you ready to go out again?" The lion purred in response as Pidge got closer. She took her seat behind the lion's eyes and shot off into the atmosphere.

She was met with enemy fire almost immediately. The black and yellow lions were already out, caught in a battle with the cruiser.  _ "Why would they only send one?" _ Pidge asked.

_ "It doesn't matter," _ Allura answered. Pidge saw the blue lion on her left.  _ "The planet will be much easier to defend. Coran, are there any other ships on your radar?" _

_ "None that I can see, Princess. You're all clear." _

_ "Thank you, Coran. We'll take it from-- Look out!" _

One shot from the cruiser sent all four lions flying backward. Pidge collected her bearings and fired back, creating a decent dent in the ion cannon.  _ At least there's no particle barrier, _ she thought.  _ "Is everyone okay?" _

She was happy with the response: two  _ "I'm fine" _ s from Keith and Allura and an  _ "I'm mostly okay" _ from Hunk. Within seconds, they had all contributed to the cruiser's damage, and within minutes, the ship was destroyed.

o0o

_ "Nice job, everyone!" _ Keith congratulated the team over the headsets as the lions landed in their hangars. The door closed between Pidge and the green beast, and muscle memory led her through the hallway.

She stopped at the med bay doors, where a family of Verbelians left in a tight embrace. The green paladin remained unnoticed by the aliens as they turned in the direction of her path. Not wanting to awkwardly follow the family, she slipped inside the room before the doors closed.

Many small aliens were still packed into the room, paying the paladin no attention as she walked among them, watching families and lovers hold one another as injuries disappeared within the pods. Her feet stopped in front of one in particular when the familiar face caught her eye. Without thinking, she sat down, her back pressed against the metal.

_ "Pidge, are you in there?" _ The yellow paladin's voice carried through the door. When it opened, Hunk entered, eyes searching for his friend. "I thought I'd find you in here," he said. "Couldn't resist being the tallest in the room, could you?"

"I guess that's one way to put it." She stretched and turned back to look inside the pod. "Something about this..." she said. "It just didn't seem right." She looked across the room, where countless Verbelians had gathered. "If everyone else has their family with them, watching them, waiting for them, we might as well wait, too." One of the pods opened, and the small alien fell into their family's embrace. "After all, the closest thing we have to a family out here is each other."

They sat together on the floor for what felt like hours, talking about Earth and family and robots. They laughed about ridiculous things they did at the Garrison and in space. The mice joined them shortly after, scurrying around on the floor and falling asleep on Hunk's lap. After a while, Hunk left, but not before convincing Pidge to do the same.

She followed him down the hall toward their rooms, and they parted ways as Pidge disappeared behind her door. She stretched, deciding to call it a long day and hopping across her messy room. She reached her bed, and as she pulled the blanket over her head, she let sleep take her away.


	3. Call and Response

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The paladins receive a distress signal from Earth, and Lance has no respect for majority rule. Also, Hunk and Lance are the best bros, and no one can change my mind.

"What on Altea is  _ that _ ?"

Coran watched the static on the monitor of the bridge in curiosity. Every few seconds, the image of a human would appear on the screen, and a few words could be heard through the static.  _ "...anyone...this...Earth...help..." _

Coran pressed a button on the table. "Allura," he said. "I think we're receiving a distress signal. Could you come take a look at this?"

o0o

Pidge opened her tired eyes, and they passed over her room. She stretched and stood, making the slow trek back to the door. It opened before her, and she began to make her way to the kitchen, clumsily placing each step along the way.

When the kitchen doors opened, her surprised eyes caught a glimpse of her teammate sitting next to the table. An untouched plate of food goo sat in front of him as the exhausted paladin toyed with the fork in his hands. "Lance?"

He looked up from his meal, searching the room for her voice. His eyes finally landed on her, and he smiled. "Oh, hey Pidge." He patted the seat next to him. She came in and sat down. "Have you seen any of the others? I've been wandering around for an hour trying to find someone. I thought you all might've been on a mission."

"No, there's no mission," she answered. "I haven't seen anyone either." She paused to yawn and stretch her arms. "Just woke up."

He laughed. "Me too."

"Have you checked the bridge?"

"No, not yet."

"Then let's go," she said. "That's probably where they are." She got up and headed toward the door.

She was outside when Lance shouted through the door. "Hey, wait for me!" She laughed and kept walking as the doors opened and Lance jogged through.

o0o

The distress signal had now attracted the attention of Shiro, as well as Hunk and Keith. Hunk had recognized the person on the screen instantly, and even Shiro thought she looked vaguely familiar.

Pidge strolled into the room, and the doors closed behind her. "I knew I'd find you all in here. Thought you might want to know Lance is awake." She pointed at the monitor. "Who's that?"

Hunk turned to face her with a trace of fear in his eyes. "Lance is awake?"

"Yeah," Pidge answered, pointing back to the monitor. "Who's that?"

"Where is he?" Hunk asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"He's on his way here," she answered. "Who's-"

"Oh, this is bad," Hunk said, turning back to the others. "Lance doesn't need to see this."

"Would somebody please tell me who that is!"

"That's Veronica," Hunk answered quickly.

"What?"

"Veronica McClain?"

" _ Oh _ ."

"Pidge, are you in there?" The doors slid open, and the red paladin stepped inside. "Oh, there you are," he said. "I was starting to think you were all..." He stopped, and his eyes went immediately to the screen. "Veronica?" Everyone in the room exchanged nervous glances at each other and the floor. "What's going on," he asked.

"It's a distress signal," Shiro answered. There was a brief moment of hesitation before he added, "it's from Earth."

"Then what are we waiting for?" He started for the door. "We can just wormhole over there, and-"

Keith stopped him. "It's not that easy," he said. "We're surrounded by planets that need our help. We can't abandon them."

"Are you saying we abandon Earth?"

"No, Lance, that's not what I'm saying."

"Then what  _ are _ you saying?"

"We have no choice, Lance." It was Allura's turn to speak, and as everyone expected, she was siding with Keith. "We have no way of knowing how long a trip to Earth could take, and leaving this galaxy is a risk we just can't afford."

"But we have to help them," Lance shouted. "Earth is defenseless! These planets aren't!"

Hunk stepped forward. "Lance is right," he argued. "Earth is our home. Doesn't that make it our responsibility?"

"I understand," Shiro answered. "It's not an easy choice for any of us... but you're both outnumbered."

"Not yet, we aren't." Lance looked around for the green paladin. He saw her and smiled. "Go on, Pidge. Tell them."

She kept her gaze down. "I... I can't," she said. "We promised the Verbelians we'd find them a new planet." She forced herself to meet his gaze, but only for a second. "We can't go."

"Well then," Coran said. "It seems we're-- Lance?"

The red paladin was already out the door, pushing past everyone in his way. Hunk followed him, yelling for him to wait, and the doors closed behind them.

The silence that followed was unsettling, to say the least. Coran went to the computer to try to get Veronica's message off of the screen, though not without reluctance. Shiro and Allura left to plan for some mission the paladins would soon be sent on, and Keith went to his other room: the training deck.

The older Altean was having trouble with the computer. "Need any help, Coran?"

"No, I'll have it done in a tick," he answered. "I'm still trying to figure out how the message got here in the first place."

"Well, good luck," Pidge answered. She turned to the door, and as it closed behind her, she heard voices behind a corner at the end of the hall.

"Do they realize what they're doing?" The voice clearly belonged to Lance. "Earth doesn't have the technology or the experience. They won't stand a chance against the Galra." He inhaled sharply. Was he crying? "Our families… They won't stand a chance."

Pidge took a risk and pushed her head around the corner. Lance sat with his back against the wall, face buried behind his knees and arms. Hunk knelt down next to him.

"We have to finish our mission in this galaxy first," Hunk answered. "Then we'll all go to Earth. I promise."

"It'll be too late." Lance clearly wasn't ready to be comforted. "Earth will be gone, and it'll be all our fault." He sat up, and Pidge saw how red his eyes were. "I have to do something before it's too late."

Hunk knew instantly what he meant. "So when are you leaving?"

Lance took a second to fully make up his mind. "Tonight," he finally answered. "I have to go tonight." He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve and turned back to the yellow paladin. "Please don't tell the others."

_ What? _

"I won't," Hunk promised.

_ This can't be happening. _

One hug later, Hunk was on his way to the kitchen, Lance on his way to his room.

_ Someone has to stop him! _

Pidge took off after Lance, going unnoticed by the taller paladin. She ducked behind a wall when he stopped at the door to his room, the final moment of hesitation before he dove headfirst into his plan.

The amount of fearful determination on his face made it clear to her that this was one of the few decisions he was absolutely sure of. At that moment, she made a decision of her own.

She was going to let him go.

o0o

He'd spent hours in his room, passing most of the time by pacing back and forth, trying to decide if he was actually about to do this. His first thought was of Veronica, and then it was Shiro's disappointed face, but before he could feel any guilt, his thoughts had circled back around to his sister.

He knew what he had to do.

That night, when nothing but silence filled the empty halls of the castle, Lance made his move.

The rest of the time in his room had been spent packing a duffel bag. Now the bag dragged behind him as he silently made his way to the red lion's hangar. He blessed the castle's floorboards for not making a sound underneath his feet.

Pidge blessed them, too.

Dragging a duffel bag of her own, she followed him to the hangar, careful to stay exactly one hallway behind him so she wouldn't be seen.

She heard a voice ahead of her and stopped abruptly.

"I can't believe it," Hunk's voice said. "You're actually going to do it."

"Hunk, what are you doing here?" Lance whispered.

Pidge peeked around the corner and saw the yellow paladin staring at Lance with almost a proud disbelief.

"I decided you're not going to leave on an empty stomach," Hunk answered, handing Lance a brown paper bag. "Also, can't a man say goodbye to his friend without being interrogated?"

"Fair enough. Sorry." Lance opened the bag and gasped. "Are these cupcakes?" He squealed.

"Close enough," Hunk said. "I had to change a few ingredients that I've only seen on Earth, but they should taste the same."

Lance's arms were around the yellow paladin before he could finish the sentence. "Thank you so much, Hunk."

"Hey, don't mention it."

After a few seconds, Lance let go and stepped up to the red lion's mouth. The lion's eyes lit up.

Hunk stepped through the door to leave, and Pidge shot past him, careful to stay out of sight. At the last second, he turned around again. "Hey Lance, would you do me a favor?"

Pidge dove for the nearest wall as the red paladin turned back in her direction. "Sure, what is it?"

"Would you tell my family I said hi?"

"I'd be glad to."

With that, Lance disappeared behind the lion's jaw as the beast's eyes began to glow. Hunk retreated to his room.

Pidge had only a few seconds. She raced across the room, tossed her duffel bag into the lion's closing mouth, and dove inside.

Once safely in the lion, she found a space behind the cockpit perfectly hidden from Lance's line of sight. She held her breath there as the lion shot out of the hangar, and the castle grew smaller in the endless expanse behind them.


End file.
